5A - Understanding The Role Of The Brain 🧠Flashcards
What is the brain-heart debate?
the debate of whether our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours originate from our brain or our heart.
what is the mind-body problem?
the question of the extent to which the mind and the body are the same or separate things
What was phrenology?
the study of the shape of the skull as an indicator of an individuals mental faculties and character traits.
What is ablation?
The surgical removal or destruction of tissue (e.g. brain tissue) by lesioning or using electrodes
what is lesioning?
the creation of small areas of damage (lesions) in the brain
Who was Pierre Flourens?
a physiologist who performed brain abalation on animals (rabbits and pigeons). He found that removing small sections of the cortex would result in a loss of movement which could be recovered over time. He believed that the remaining areas of the cortex were able to take up the function that was initially loss
what is equipotentiality?
the idea that healthy areas of the cortex can take over the function of injured areas
what are electrodes?
small wires used to electrically stimulate biological tissues or to measure electrical activity in these tissues
what is computerised tomography (CT)?
an imaging technique that combines a series of x-ray images taken from different angles to create cross sectional images of the body
what is position emission tomography? (PET)
an imaging technique that provides information not only about brain structure but also about activity and function by recording the use of glucose by cells in the brain.
What is magnetic resonance imaging? (MRI)
an imaging technique that uses magnetic fields to activate atoms in the brain, which then allows a computer to generate an image of the brain
What is functional magnetic resonance imaging? (FMRI)
a type of MRI that shows brain activity by measuring oxygen consumption in the brain with the assumption that active areas have a higher oxygen consumption
